My Swallow is back home!!

"My" Swallow is back!

I know that the first Swallow you see each year does not make a summer, but hey, it doesn't half make a good start! 

“My” Swallow turned up sometime today – he was not around at all this morning, but  was flying in and out of my shed this afternoon when I got home and then twittering his happy, bubbling song from my TV aerial!

I am saying that it is a “him” as usually the males arrive a little before the females to check out the nesting area in preparation for the “missus” to swan in a little later on – how chivalrous! Males also have slightly longer tail streamers, which can be quite noticeable if they sit together on a wire.

I must now go out to the shed and place a little bit of wire netting around the light, as last year they decided that this was the best place to nest, despite putting up numerous man-made nests (which they have used in previous years) and also strips of wood placed in strategic places, ideal for supporting nests!

I try to get them to nest in a place where the “guano” that mounts up below does not matter. That failed miserably last year, as everything that came out of the shed was greeted with “bloody Swallows!”

This year the weather is much more conducive to getting straight on with nest building and egg laying than it was last year, when the cold, bleak weather meant that there was little insect activity and it was well over a month before any sign of nesting started.

So, here’s wishing you all a long hot summer – Swallows included!